Frankenstein Finale

The first novel read in Honors Modern Fiction was Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. I was interested in reading this novel because the story of Frankenstein is iconic and throughout my childhood, I would hear so many different versions of the story. By reading this book, it exposed me to the true origins of Frankenstein and showed me how the current day media has twisted the story. Originally, I hated the idea of reading this book because I was under the impression that this book would be written like The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthrone. Soon, I learned that it was nothing like the writing in The Scarlett Letter, this instantly made the book more enjoyable for me to read. Reading Frankenstein was a great book to read and made me understand why it has remained a popular story for the past 200 years.

When we concluded the book, we were tasked with participating in a Socratic Seminar, which is a formal discussion, based on a text, in which the leader asks open-ended questions (via http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-guides/socratic-seminars-30600.html). The Socratic Seminar consisted of the following 5 questions:

What does this text illustrate about relationships 
and socialization?

What does this text illustrate about scientific pursuit
and the acquisition of knowledge?

To what extent are Victor and the creature monstrous? 

What's the impact of the novel's point-of-view, 
plot structure, and/or frame? 

What contributes to this text's enduring popularity?

This type of discussion after reading a book is extremely effective because it allows for the seminar to flow without there being unneeded interruptions. It avoids unnecessary points being brought up because each idea has to fit into the discussion questions. For me, this type of seminar is the best because I like having a structure to everything I do and it allowed me to feel more prepared because there were specific topics that needed to be discussed. I would enjoy this type of post-novel discussion again. However, there were some points that I did not have time to mention them in class because of time restraints. One of the most important ones was under Question #1: What does this text illustrate about relationships and socialization?

The creature has been void of positive relationships his whole life because Victor did not embrace all of the flaws of the creature. This forces the creature to miss out on all of the typical childhood experiences who are responsible for shaping who he becomes.

“But where were my friends and relations? No father had watched my infant days, no mother has blessed me with smiles and caresses; or of they had, all my past life was now a blot, a blind vacancy in which I distinguished nothing” (Shelley 86).

By reading this quote, I realized that the creature was similar to a feral child, who does not recognize social norms because there was no one there to guide them. Victor failed to help the creature establish who he is, therefore making the creature fit into a stereotype that is contradictory to who he really is.

In my class, Jahaan said that the creature’s lack of positive socialization and relationships has caused him to embrace the stereotype society has inflicted on him through negative encounters. The creature had “no father” and “no mother” which would have been positive relationships (86). Although the encounter the DeLacey’s was initially positive (the creature was able to learn and write), it eventually was a negative experience for the creature. The creature was engaging in some positive relationships, especially with the DeLacey’s. However, the interaction was short lived and he had to move on from this family. This encounter with the DeLacey family is just added to the list of negative relationships. Most importantly, the negative relationship between Victor and the creature. We can see the catastrophic effects of negative relationships when the creature encounters the boy in Chapter 16. This is right after the creature has been rejected by the DeLacey family and is walking around the town.

The creature stumbles upon a boy in the town and the boy is frightened by the creature, even though it wasn’t his “intend [intention] to hurt you [boy]” (Chapter 16). He calls him a “hideous monster” and calls for his father to save him, who is, in fact, a Frankenstein. Disgusted by this name of his enemy, the creature declared this young boy his “first victim” (Chapter 16). Hearing the name Frankenstein triggered the monster into murdering an innocent boy. Although the father of the boy was not Victor Frankenstein, the creature put all Frankensteins into the enemy category. During the infancy of the creature, Victor would tell him that he was ugly and a wretch. This not only led to the establishment of a stereotype of who the creature should be but also the formation who the Frankenstein Family is. This negative relationship formed horrible characteristics between all characters and eventually, turned the creature into the monster Victor wanted everyone to see.

Novel Discussed PDF: